Volume 4 - Chapter 26

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Diary of a Traveling Preacher

 

Volume 4, Chapter 26

 

November 21 - December 6, 2002

 

As the auspicious month of Kartika drew to a close in Vrindavan, Craig

asked me if there were other holy places in India that we could visit. I

told him that there are countless holy places in India, but generally

Vaisnavas congregate at three: Vrindavan, Mayapur, and Jagannath Puri. These

tirthas are particularly dear to devotees because the Supreme Lord performed

His transcendental pastimes in all three in different ages.

 

Craig also inquired about Ahovalam, the appearance place of Lord

Nrsimhadeva, the half man, half lion incarnation of the Lord who appeared

millions of years ago to protect His dear devotee, Prahlad Maharaja. Craig

had taken a liking to Lord Nrsimhadeva, avidly reading the seventh canto of

Srimad-Bhagavatam in which His pastimes are described. He even bought a

large silver ring of Lord Nrsimhadeva in Vrindavan's bazaar.

 

"Ahovalam is in south India," I explained. "We may not have time to go there

this trip. I suggest we go to Jagannath Puri for a few days and then to

Mayapur."

 

Craig approved of the idea, and the morning after Kartika ended we packed

our bags for the trip. Planning to return to Vrindavan, we left behind all

non-essentials. As our group of six devotees set out by taxi for Delhi to

catch the flight to Bhubaneshwar, I saw Craig looking intensely at his

Nrsimha ring. "I'd never leave this behind," he said. "It's going with me

everywhere."

 

I was happy to see his blossoming faith in Lord Nrsimhadeva, and I said, "No

doubt the Lord is present in that ring. In our ISKCON movement we chant a

prayer daily to Lord Nrsimhadeva, part of which is: 'ito nrsimhah parato

nrsimho yato yato yami tato nrsimhah.'"

 

"What does it mean?" Craig asked.

 

"It means Lord Nrsimhadeva is all-pervading - within and without

everything. He manifests to protect His devotees. The Srimad-Bhagavatam

explains that in this material world there is danger at every step."

 

"Yes," said Craig, "that's the reason I'm wearing His ring."

 

Our flight arrived in Bhubaneshwar in the early afternoon. Vrindavan had

been getting cooler day by day, so we were pleasantly surprised by the

tropical breezes of Orissa. I also noted that the pace of life seemed a

little slower. I attributed that either to the nature of the people, or

simply the fact that Kartika in Vrindavan is always hectic, with thousands

of pilgrims seeking Radha and Krsna's mercy.

 

We hired two taxis at the airport and embarked on the 50km, scenic drive to

Puri. Myself, Dharmatma prabhu and Craig shared a car, while Radhe Syama das

and two other devotees traveled in another vehicle. The land was lush and

green and full of palm trees swaying in the light wind. Crystal clear lakes

and ponds dotted the landscape.

 

As our taxi sped through the countryside, I again meditated on Craig's

attraction to Lord Nrsimhadeva. He had only recently become seriously

interested in Krsna consciousness, but like many devotees had quickly become

attracted to this particular form of the Lord. I recalled one of Srila

Prabhupada's purports in which he explains how devotees develop such

attraction:

 

"The transcendental holy name of the Lord may be heard and chanted

accordingly to the attraction of the devotee. One may chant the holy name of

Lord Krsna, or one may chant the holy name of Lord Rama or Nrsimhadeva. The

Lord has innumerable forms and names, and devotees may meditate upon a

particular form and chant the holy name according to his attraction."

 

[srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.23-24]

 

Suddenly, the idyllic atmosphere was shattered by Dharmatma screaming,

"Watch out!" As I looked out the front window I saw a motorcycle hurtling

towards us. The rider, adjusting something on the machine, was unaware that

he had crossed into our lane. Instinctively I started loudly chanting Hare

Krsna, and saw an expression of horror on the man's face as he looked up at

the last moment before crashing head-on into our car.

 

I closed my eyes upon impact and cringed at the sound of crunching

metal and shattering glass. Bracing myself for the rider's body - or his

motorcycle - to come crashing through the windshield, as often happens in

high-speed accidents, I held tightly to the seat, expecting the car might

also swerve into the ditch on the side of the road. But upon opening my

eyes, I was astonished to see that our vehicle had stopped in its tracks.

Suddenly we heard the motorcycle, which by the sheer force of the impact

had been sent flying over our car, land in the road behind us. A split

second later the rider's body came crashing down onto the roof of our car

and on to the road.

 

We quickly jumped out and saw the crumpled motorcycle and the rider lying

critically wounded, blood gushing from his head. The damage to the front of

the taxi was significant. However, the worst was still to come. In India,

whenever there is a serious road accident in which people are injured, the

driver of the vehicle perceived to be at fault is afforded no mercy by local

people. He is often dragged from his vehicle and beaten to death on the

spot, the passengers not uncommonly suffering a similar fate. The vehicle is

then looted and torched.

 

Within moments, a crowd of villagers had encircled our car. The driver had

already fled, so their attention fell on us. My first thought was to protect

my Deities, who were in a silver-colored case next to me on the seat. I saw

several people already eyeing the fancy container. Grabbing the case, I

opened the door and slowly got out. As I did so, Dharmatma and Craig emerged

from the other side of the car and immediately attended to the injured

motorcyclist. By assessing his wounds, they gained the sympathy of much of

the crowd. No doubt the fact that we were all dressed as sadhus also worked

in our favor. Nevertheless, the situation remained tense as several

villagers agitated to attack us, with some approaching me yelling loudly and

pushing me backwards. In my mind I began praying to Lord Nrsimhadeva and

within moments the agitators stopped harrassing me.

 

As I passed Dharmatma I told him I was going to wait by the entrance to a

nearby building. Should things flare up again, I suggested he and Craig join

me and we would hide inside. With my Deities in hand I slowly moved towards

the building, while Craig went behind the car just as some men were

succeeding in breaking open the lock on the trunk. Seizing the moment, Craig

reached in and removed our luggage.

 

By this time the crowd were on our side, as they could see that Dharmatma

was endeavoring to get the wounded motorcyclist to a hospital. Tension

completely subsided with the arrival of the police, at which point Dharmatma

and Craig made their way to the entrance to the building. Unnoticed by the

villagers, we went inside. The building was a telephone exchange, and I

immediately asked the one and only operator to call us a taxi. Not speaking

a word of English, he stared back at me blankly. At that moment, one of the

agitators from the crowd tried to force his way into the building, but was

pushed back by several workers. We were getting a little nervous when

suddenly, as if by the Lord's arrangement, a sadhu appeared at the entrance,

his face composed and peaceful.

 

Walking into the building, he put his hands up in a such a way as to

reassure us, and proceeded to stay with us for over an hour. I finally

communicated with the operator to call for a car to take us on to Puri, and

when it arrived we cautiously emerged from the building as the sadhu scanned

the crowd, his stern look keeping any trouble at bay. As we waited for the

taxi to depart, the sadhu noticed the small pouch I keep around my neck

containing my Nrsimha salagram sila. Almost mystically, he concluded the

Lord was inside and asked for darsan. As I unzipped the pouch, the Lord's

gaping mouth and fierce countenance were revealed, and the sadhu bowed his

head in appreciation while offering prayers to the Lord. Then with his arms

raised to the sky, he indicated with his eyes that it was the Lord alone who

protected us from certain injury, or even death. By the mercy of Lord

Nrsimhadeva, we had miraculously survived a major collision and a hostile

group of villagers.

 

As we drove away, I saw Craig looking at his own representation of

Lord Nrsimhadeva - his ring. Meditating deeply on the ring, he turned and

said, "I'll never, ever take off this ring. Lord Nrsimhadeva protected us!"

 

Despite the seriousness of the occasion, the underlying feeling Craig was

left with was one of gratitude to the Lord.

 

At first, I felt uneasy that Craig had to go through such a terrible ordeal.

He told me later it was the only automobile accident in which he'd been

involved. Why did it have to happen during his trip to India, when I was

trying so hard to impress upon him the wonderful life of Krsna

consciousness? No doubt it was part of the Lord's plan. Some of the most

important lessons in spiritual life are sobering. I had thought that the

Lord was being particularly kind to Craig during his initial steps in Krsna

consciousness - and it was now apparent that from the beginning Craig is

learning to take shelter of the Lord in both happiness and distress. As we

had discussed earlier that day, the Lord is everywhere, within and without.

Indeed, even tragedy helps bring us closer to His lotus feet.

 

vipadah santu tah sasvat

tatra tatra jagad-guro

bhavato darsanam yat syad

apunar bhava-darsanam

 

"I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again

so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will

no longer see repeated births and deaths."

 

[srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.25]

 

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